Blog Trip to London, Cardiff, Oslo and Prague - Living at the London Catholic Worker

Entries below span from the first entry of August 25th to the last on September 9th. Following that are two sections of various writing.

Next trip is to Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver. That's a catch up trio with friends and family.

In November I hope to travel to Heredia, Costa Rica to study Spanish for three weeks. Entries to continue then.

What follows is in reverse chronological order, so I've listed topics in correct order here.

Monday, August 25, 2008 Peter's Cafe in the Borough of Hackney, London N1

Monday, August 25, 2008 A Victory in Appeals Court

Friday, August 29, 2008 A Day Trip to Dover Castle & the WW II tunnels with Amani from Eritrea

Monday, September 1, 2008 Two Days in Oslo, Norway

Thursday, September 4, 2008 Praha

Sunday, September 7, 2008 People you meet in Hostels and Praha aka Prague - Part 2.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 A Touching Last Day

REFLECTIONS & ARTICLES - Thoughts on the amazing people I get to meet.

Rich, my 19 year old friend, soon to be Franciscan and recentcommunity member at Haley House in Boston. An article he wrote.

A Brief Summary of my Spiritual Quest - Saturday, June 14, 2008

A Touching Last Day

My last day was a full one. I had thought to cook a Turkey Thanksgiving style meal for all. Then I realized (dah!) that the guys at the house (asylum seekers) do not get meat there and that their own cooking would be great for them. Several are very good cooks.

So the morning was taken with shopping in the markets:

Hallel lamb for an Iranian dish - it was excellent.

Fresh chicken for an Algerian dish - tasty with olives and a nice broth.

Fish, mackerel, for a Congo dish - quite good.

Basmati rice - for Teodros popular rice - yummy! esp. w/ the lamb.

topped off w/ cans of John Smith and Stella Artois.

Barry, the older British gent I introduced 7 weeks ago took me to breakfast.

I had purchased small gifts, calling card to Bolivia, Iran, Algeria etc. Wrapping paper was tabloid newspapers!

In the afternoon, we went to the cafe to say goodbye & give Barry a birthday present. He's 65 on Saturday.

Good buys were heartfelt: those living rough, young professionals etc.

In the evening 13 of us sat down to a sumptuous dinner. Lots of good cheer, laughs and pictures. they gave me a lovely good bye card and two Oxfam gift cards that tell who is being taken care of in our name.

The gifts went well. Lots of laughs. Several heartfelt conversation privately. Emotional good bys. I understand the kissing on both sides of the face, but one ethnic group kisses you non-stop. Oh well!!!!

A truly touching evening. Such good men who face incredible obstacles yet have much joy and are a joy to live with.

Off to the airport in 90 minutes. Amanuel insists in accompanying me on the bus - no doubt taking my luggage!

Cheers!

People you meet in Hostels

Without question, it is a great experience if you enjoy the energy, enthusiasm, openness and basic goodness of young people.

Some interesting people:

Daniel, 25, from Lisbon - touring Europe for 30 days. He has to do an internship in law and then take his bar exams. He wants to practice law related to urban planning. His agenda: to tour the cities to capture a sense of their unfolding.

Ian, 40, from Australia - came to Prague to help his friend and his wife adjust to having a baby with Downs Syndrome. The experience was hurting the couple's marriage. He helps out at their home 4 days a week& then takes a break. True friendship!

Liz, 29, from Santa Monica who has settled in Prague and manages the cafe in the basement - which looks more like an ancient crypt - such ambiance!

Dave, 26, from Kansas City touring Europe before he gets too old!!!

Richard, 20, from a village near Florence - a musician touring also. He stands 6' 4" and is a very engaging person. He decided to sit and talk with me for several hours. He now keeps in touch by email. He wants to have lunch with Laura, Jason and me when we are in Florence in December!

Emily, the 22 year old student in Oslo, who has to fend off some of the guys as she works at the hostel desk. The guys are polite but clearly interested. Makes sense as she is a delightful, interesting, and attractive young lady.

John, 66, and his son who are here with about 20 guys on a bachelor’s party from England. John is interesting and a true Tory. Unlike most, he's not rooting for Obama!

Praha aka Prague - Part 2.

The trams (streetcars) offer a unique opportunity to see a lot including some wonderful views of the city across the Vltava River. Sir Toby's Hostel allows you to approach the city center and get a feel for its character. Go right across a bridge (most) and arrive at Wenceslas Square, the place where Czech's throughout history gathered to celebrate or protest.

In the Old Town Square, Jan Hus, stands proudly against religious excess. Interestingly, a Hussite church explains the role of Catholic priests about 100 years ago who tried to convince the Vatican to be more open to the world. Today much of what they wanted is in Vatican II.

The Charles River Bridge reminds one of the bridges in Florence though quite different.

Take a ride on Tram 22 past the Castle and see some lovely sites; stop for a soda, pint or coffee and enjoy a wonderful summer day - people watching in a non-tourist area!

It becomes clear that though guide books are quite helpful, you can easily fall prey to develop a "To Do Checklist" which can make it more of a marathon than a stroll to enjoy the culture.

Prague offers a lot to see. Touristy can be a problem! I think in my return visit, I'll pack a nice lunch and spend the whole day in the Castle - which is actually a large site with gardens outside the deer moat and two churches, walking areas and other site inside.

Both here and in the Jewish Quarter you can easily get drawn into buying a pass that covers all. They're pricey and afterwards you're likely to feel that you've been on a sort of tour workout!

Do come to Prague and other countries in Eastern Europe. There is so much to see and learn.

Praha

Well this is truly the city to visit in Eastern Europe. Weather is great - sunny & 70-84 degrees. I actually felt it was warm yesterday - then again it's been 60's most of the time in August in London!

There is simply too much to see in one visit. The Hostel is really very good - convenient, very clean, a big breakfast all you can eat for $5.80. A lounge downstairs & free Czech movies w/ English subtitles 3 nights a week. A small library to check out books, including tour books.
Sir Toby's Hostel in Prague http://www.sirtobys.com/

Lots of interesting people from Portugal, Germany, U.S., Canada, U.K., Spain, Argentina etc.

I strolled through Prague today after touring it by tram yesterday. After this break, I'm heading back to cross the Charles Bridge
http://www.prague-tourist-info.eu/pti_image/photo/monuments-lesser-town-charles-bridge.jpg

and walk into Old Town. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.prague-pictures.cz/images/19.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.prague-pictures.cz/photos/15/christmas-atmosphere-in-prague-old-town-square&h=428&w=600&sz=106&hl=en&start=2&usg=__BWylCAtigfwRbMZJgZG774k5vhc=&tbnid=txvUMTlY8pup6M:&tbnh=96&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dprague%2Bold%2Btown%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

and the Astronomical Clock http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.prague.net/gallery/astronomical-clock/images/dsc_0047.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.prague.net/gallery/astronomical-clock/pic2.php&h=532&w=800&sz=146&hl=en&start=5&usg=__jXMIg8x2plmyooEEBtfFzF1Gt04=&tbnid=A6WDCFpeM3_ojM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dprague%2Bastronomical%2Bclock%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

This a.m. I toured the Franz Kafka Museum. To me it was one of the most effectively copnceived exhibits I've seen anywhere: images, video, hanging exhibits, conical walks with images appears, info and info in a pond, and more! The peeing figures out front are interesting!

http://img5.travelblog.org/Photos/32088/214128/t/1647758-Pissing-Fountain-0.jpg

Then onto The Church of St. Nicholas considered to be one of the best examples of Czech Baroque in the Republic.

http://www.aviewoncities.com/prague/stnicholaschurch.htm

Tomorrow - the Castle, Jewish Quarter, and New Town.

Price comparisons in dollars:

City London Oslo Prague

Pint of Beer 5.81 10 - 13 2.25

Soft Drink .89 4.00 .55

Tram/Bus 1.60 4.00 1.30

Two Days in Oslo, Norway

After 6 weeks in LCW, I was to leave for 10 days of touring. Given the weak dollar & needs of the LCW house, I'm doing two smaller trips.

1st Stop - OSLO

Norwary is a wealthy country due to its oil. You quickly learn to not spend money! What might cost $ 3 or 4 here will cost about $ 13 there.

Oslo is a small for a capitol city, but quite lovely and with an excellent transportation system. I quickly learned that having a ticket is crucial if you do not wish to pay the $ 200 fine. As I was talking with fellow hostel guests we saw a stream of people running from an equal number of police. Turns out they had no tickets. So when the officers boarded the tram to look at all tickets they fled, en masse!

Edward Munch is a famous artist and the museums attest to this. There are many lovely sites like:

The Scream http://media.aftenposten.no/archive/00770/ARKIV__sx61d565_jpg_770410h.jpg

Fronger Park http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/travel/23affordable-oslo.html Hmm, is that a phallic symbol in the background?

City Hall http://www.ihs-norway.com/english/images/oslo-cityhall.jpg

The Holmenkollen Ski Jump http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/holmenkollen-ski-jump-oslo-nor222.jpg

The amazing Vigeland Sculpture Park with 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/images/48hrs_oslo0709/48hrs_oslo0709.jpg and

http://z.about.com/d/goscandinavia/1/0/f/-/-/-/OsloVigelandpark.jpg

its harbor with ferries to small picturesque harbor islands http://www.concierge.com/images/destinations/destinationguide/europe/norway/oslo/oslo/oslo_010p.jpg

Best of all I met a young Italian band staying at the Amstel Hostel. Richie is now in regular email contact.
Laura, Jay and I will have lunch with him in Florence at Christmas. Some of their music is at www.myspace.com/jesenyaband

Next tiome, I hope to fly to Copenhagen, take the night ferry to Oslo, and than the train to Bergen in the north - just south of ther Arctic Circle - beautiful Scandinavia.

A Day Trip to Dover Castle & the WW II tunnels with Amani from Eritrea

If you've read previous posts, you know a bit about Amani. An impressive young man, 27, who had to flee Eritrea because he had the audacity to have a religious ceremony in his own house.



He first went to Italy, but the only help there is from the local Catholic Churches. He then fled to Britain hiding on trains through Italy & France. The walk long the White Cliffs of Dover brought back memories of having arrived several years before on a lorrie.



I just completed an interesting book about a young boy with Asperger's syndrome. The lady on the train with the food trolley gasped when she saw my copy. we were puzzled, but then she showed us her copy. Then, go figure, a man borded the train and he said "I just finished reading that this morning!" small world.



Dover is a pleasant unassuming town. The walk to the castle and fort is vigorous as it is a steep climb for about 15 minutes - unless you want to wait for the local bus that runs once an hour.



The site itself is well worth visiting: like Cardiff Castle, it dates back to the roman times & serving as a garrison. The Saxon Church & lighthouse are impressive. The castle, outer bailey and keep are very interesting.



There is a guided tour of the tunnels - first built to prepare for an invasion by Napoleon. They were enlarged in the 40's and served a major role on both the Dunkirk and D Day events.



Amani is an amazing young m,an who insists in letting you go first through nay door and will not take no to carrying your things.



Back in London, we took a bus home. On the way, we passed many pubs with the young and well off sitting outside. I ached to think he might taken notice & feel the obvious gulf between what is possible for them and him.



we walked through a neighborhood filled with Vietnamese restaurants. He wanted Kebob - if i did! He found a little shop. I have to say it was the best dinner I've had in my 7 weeks here.



Now if only we could find a way to get him his papers so that he could go to school. He is very bright. I find it difficult to think of the hurdles he faces.



Arrived in Oslo several hours ago trip. It's sunny out & I'm off to do some touring.



P.S. Biden is a great choice!